Category: Life Hack

Surgery wrap

On By CarynIn Cats, dog, Life Hack

Missy went in for her spay, and rather than a cone of shame or donut of doom, I made her a surgery wrap from knit fabric. The wrap keeps her from licking the incision site, and a little shaping keeps it clean and dry when she has to do her outside business.

Missy wearing her surgery wrap (I know, black fabric on a black dog!)

To make the wrap, I measured her back from neck to tail (16”) and around her chest (18”). I cut a rectangle from knit fabric that was 16” x 19” (the extra inch around makes it easier to pin). I measured between her front legs, across her chest (4”), and made 4 slits 4” apart at the top and bottom of the wrap for her legs. I cut a curve out between the back legs so the wrap wouldn’t get wet or dirty when she eliminated.

Knit wrap with slits and toiletry cut out

I tried a version with velcro, but it didn’t fit as well as when I just used three safety pins to pin along the back (and velcro is loud!) I put her legs in the four holes, pulled the fabric snug but not tight, and the pinned the fabrics at the back of the neck, mid back, and near the tail.

Wrap showing pin locations along the back

Missy is surprisingly OK about wearing her little vest! Is it as fancy as the surgery wraps you can buy? No, but I’ve made them out of old t-shirt material, so they can be free to make. For something that you only need for 10-14 days, free is good. They work for cats too! At least female ones. When Sophie had her spay, we used a similar surgery wrap.

Sophie in a surgery wrap made from an old T-shirt and safety pins

Crisp Celery?

On By CarynIn Life Hack
Celery washed, cut, and stood on end in water

I over ordered celery, and in an effort to keep it fresh and crisp, I’m trying to keep one end in water in the fridge. I don’t have a round container, so I improvised with a plastic bag and some kitchen twine. I have read that wrapping celery in tin foil will keep it fresh, but it also hides it from view. Hidden celery doesn’t get consumed in this house!

Almond butter hack

On By CarynIn Life Hack

I don’t know who needs to know this, but if your almond butter is more like syrup than butter, mixing in some almond flour does wonders. I recently tried a new brand of almond butter, and it was the “mix first” kind, with the layer of oil on top. When mixed, it was spreadable, but just kept spreading. What a mess. So I stirred in some almond flour and I can now put it on my morning apple without it crawling off. It is the little things.

Apple with almond butter thickened with almond flour

First trim

On By CarynIn dog, Life Hack
Before trim

Little puppy had fur in her line of sight. She is jumpy, and when I file her nails, she chews on the file. I did not want her to flinch or gnaw when I was trimming the hair around her eyes! So I waited until she fell asleep on my lap, and gently, quietly, gave her a little trim. I was worried about making the white hairs look strange, but it came out OK. When she woke from her nap, she could see!

After trim

Tunic from oversized shirt

On By CarynIn Life Hack
Laying a nice fitting dress over and oversized shirt to mark new seams

The crop top trend is driving me bonkers. My youngest can only wear leggings (they are the only bottoms flexible enough, and don’t require zippers or buttons or snaps so are easy for school). School rules require that leggings be covered with tops that go lower than fingertips (which I fully support). But the tunic trend for teen girls has made way for the crop trend, which is not school friendly. So I have a solution. We bought a t-shirt three times larger than she needed. I then used one of her nice fitting dresses as a guide to make new side seams. The resulting garment is long enough, but doesn’t look like a tent on her. Hurray!